Toy airplane



K. Howl E 2,138,301

TOY AIRPLANE Nov. 29', 1938.

Filed July 27, 1957 Cil Patented Nov. 29, 1938 TOY AIRPLANE Kenneth Howie, Norristown, Pa.

Application July 27, 1937, Serial No. 156,000

5 Claims.

One object of the invention is to provide a motor operated toy or model airplane in which the wing spread is reduced to the lowest possible limit. Toy or model airplanes at present have a wing spread of from ve to thirteen feet, as compared with a desirable spread of two to three feet. The extent of the wing spread is dependent largely upon the weight of the enginespark coil, batteries, etc. or in other words, upon the weight of the motor and ignition equipment generally. The engine must be ofa size and capacity to take care of the Weight due to the extensive wing spread, as well as the weight of the ignition system carried by the plane as in toy planes hither-` to employed.

While it may not be diiiicult to reduce the size of the engine itself and thereby save weight, it is not feasible to make this reduction because the engine must be of sufficient size to take care of the weight of the present ignition system involving the spark coil, battery, spark plug, wiring system, timer condenser and suitable ttings. e

My improvement concerns a toy or model airplane, devoid of the usual ignition system involving the parts above enumerated, of minimum wing spread, of light engine weight, and having ignition means which is maintained active during ight by the heat generated by the explosions in the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine.

In carrying out the invention, an ignition member, such for instance as a coil, is located in or is in communication with the combustion chamber of the engine. This coil or member is energized initially from ignition equipment on the ground to which said coil is temporarily connected.

Once the engine is started, and is heated up, the connection between said coil and ignition equipment is broken and then the toy plane is ready to start on its flight, leaving the weighty ignition equipment behind. The coil is kept hot for firing the charges by the heat derived from the explosions, in the combustion chamber, of the fuel supplied to the engine from a suitable source carried by the toy, so that during flight all that the toy plane carries for ignition purposes is the hot coil.

As a result of employing the hot coil or member as the sole means of firing the charges during the flight of the toy, the weight of the usual ignition system is eliminated, the size of the engine is reduced, thus further eliminating weight. and therefore the spread of the -wings can be reduced to a. minimum, and this again Figure 1 is a diagram 4of an internal combustion engine, the propeller, fuel tank and mixing' valve of a toy ormodel airplane according to my;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the head f the en# gine having a heating coil carried thereby.

The engine I may be of the two cycle type Its piston 2 is connected with the crank 3 of the shaft 4 of the propeller 5 by a piston rod 6. At 'I is shown an ordinary mixing valve and at 8 atank for holding the gasoline.

The parts mentioned above constitute the motor organization for driving the propeller. There is no ignition system on the toy, i. e. no

battery, spark coil, spark plug, and features necessarily employed in such systems. The ysole means of ignition on the toy is the coil 9, adapted to be initially heated from an ignition system onv the ground. 'I'he coil is energized from the ground plant by current obtained from a battery, or other source of electricity, located on the ground through suitable circuit wires, involving a wire connected to the binding post I'Il carried by the head II of the engine, which may be screw threaded into connection with the engine cylinder, and a Wire connected with a binding screw-I2 also mounted on the head block.v The coil 9 is connected at one end to the binding post I0 and at the other end it connects by means of a screw I3, with the head II, so that the circuit is completed through the head between the binding screw I2 and I3.

I have shown in dotted lines a storage battery with circuit wires I4, I5 connected to the battery and adapted to connect with the binding members I0 and I2. These connections are shown in dottedV lines unattached, indicating that the motor` unit when working ready for ight is disconnected from the ignition system mounted on the ground. Y

The ground plant is used only for starting the engine, after which it is detached from the engine, as shown, whereupon the coil 9 is kept serve as the sole ignition means during flight of the toy plane.

The engine works on the two cycle principle. The heat of the explosions keeps the coil 9 hot enough to fire the charge.

When the piston is at the top of its stroke it uncovers the port I6 to which the mixing valve is attached and the mixture of gasoline and air is drawn into the crank case. On thedown stroke of the piston the mixture is compressed in the crank case I1. When the piston reaches the bottom of its stroke it uncovers the port lI8 in the left hand side of the cylinder and the gas compressed in the crank case rushes into the cylinder as in the two cycle type of engine. Just before the new charge enters the cylinder the burnt gases escape through the exhaustpcrt on the right hand side of the cylinder' which is uncovered by the piston just a little before thein'- let port is openedl On the up stroke of the piston the new charge iscompressed and, explodes by coming in contact with the.hot coil.

The hot coil is made of platinum wire or any of the heat resisting wires now on the market which are used for electric furnaces etc.

It will be observed that with my improvement I provide a cycle of weight reductions. The elimination of the usual ignition system from the plane reduces its overall weight,to such an extent that a smaller engine can be employed, and these weight reductions enable me to employ wings having a minimum spread.

A toy airplane having a reduced wing spread is an important advance in the art because of the convenienceA with which it may be carried or transported to and from the iiying eld. Wings of considerable spread render a toy plane cumbersome and inconvenient to handle and carry, especially by automobile, it not being possible to carry the larger models within the car in going to and from the point where a meet is held, because ofthe aggregate lengths of the wings.

sufciently hot by the re of the explosions to An instance of the weights involved in previous n iodel or toy planes and the saving in weights by my invention may be stated as follows:

Ounces Engine, propeller and tank 4.48 Dry nella 6,09 Spark coil 2.53 Spark plug and wires .359 Timer i .242 Condenser .556

By my invention all of the aboveweights butthe engine, propeller and tank are eliminated, so that the weight saved by use of the hot coil is 9.777 oz. or 68%.

I claim: Y,

1. A toy airplane having an internal combusltion engine for driving the propeller, and ignition means kept active during flight solely by the heat of the explosions.

2. A toy airplane according to claim l which 'is devoid of electric ignition equipment.

said member being adapted to .be rendered active initially by extraneous means and maintained active by the heat of the explosions and constituting the sole means of ignition on theA engine during the flight of the toy.

'5. A model or toy airplane having an internal combustion engine for driving the propeller, said engine taking an explosive mixture into the cylinder before the compression stroke and having ignition means kept active during flight solely by the heat of the explosions.

KENNETH HOWIE. 

